


An Autumn's Daydream

by Amongthedeep



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Original Fiction, Short Story, soft fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-26
Updated: 2014-05-26
Packaged: 2018-08-15 09:28:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8051056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amongthedeep/pseuds/Amongthedeep
Summary: Meet Lettie, happier herb picking and gardening than potion-making, but when a new festival comes into town, suddenly everything goes awry.





	An Autumn's Daydream

**Author's Note:**

> Done on 26-5-2014, this was made after reading Diana Wynne Jones and trying to siphon some of her skills.

[](http://tinypic.com?ref=25g89b4)

Lettie was digging the cold, muddy autumn soil, surrounded by green and gold trees, when she discovered the bone. She'd been searching for ginger roots when the bone loosened from the weeds. Lettie put aside mud-stained spatula and drenched gloves, and carefully took it out. The little bone felt so fragile, weathered down by soil and rain, that she could only stared at it, blowing wisps of breath. The bone was stained in the acid green of rotting leaves. Looking around the bronze-green trees, she found no yellow-brown leaves on the floor.  
Lettie took out her leather pouch from her hip and dumped the bone. It was surprisingly solid, as it clinked against the roots of blue nightshade. Sighing, she got up and looked around remembering the list of herbs needed to be picked up.  
“Bilberry, Atibala, Bloodroot, Starwort, Feverfew...” said Lettie, spotting Licorice. “I do have few of those on my garden, hmm...”  
Lettie dug it up, fully intact with earth dangling from it's roots, and stuffed it on her knapsack. The bone did not look from an avian, it had a strange circular shape, hollow in the middle with spike-like incisions. She took a few twigs and bark from the white birch. It was a massive thing, all gangly members, its leaves yet untouched from the autumn colors. Putting the bark inside the knapsack with the twigs, she heard the bone sound strangely hollow.  
So it was with huffiness that she found the bilberry, its stems full of fruits; the atibala, pulling at its roots and stashing its leaves; the blood root, pulling it whole; the starwort, whole too; and stashed the leaves of the feverfew. Damn it all to hell, Lettie thought irritated as she dragged down her heavy knapsack down the entrenched hill. Maybe one of the customers would know.  
So, feeling cheerful again, she arrived at Lettie and Daisy's Shop. It was not truly Lettie's shop. Lettie did the side of the equation she liked: foraging through the fields, mucking about on the forest, planting and digging and taking care of the herbs and trees throughout the Winter. Daisy was her best friend, and a complete nut-job over alchemy. Daisy also did the potions and the remedies, and was always trying to push Lettie to do it and help her. Lettie did not find it a fun process: pour some dried rhizome or roots here, a few oils there, stir it, let it simmer for hours, then the whole after-process of cleaning the cauldron and packaging it. She sighed, as she opened the chiming door, into the shop sniffing the smell of boiling black alder. Lettie choked on its rich smell passing by Old Killam, Aunt Mildred, which she insisted be called or her double chins would start jumping around in suffered huffiness, and Skeletal Hara into the back shop.  
“DAISY!” she bellowed, over the gurgling noise of the cauldron. “Where's Rojan?!”  
Daisy turned around, her wheat hair stringing outside of her pigtails, with half-shut resentful eyes. “He left, saying his Ma needed him. What a load of crock!”  
“Daisy,” said Lettie. “There's three customers outside, and I'm carrying this heavy bag and I'm tired, please.”  
“Fine!” Daisy said huffily. “But stir it, or I'll dye your hair purple.”  
With an annoyed slam of the door Daisy left, leaving Lettie to mix the mauve-pink liquid. Whatever was Daisy making? What a nasty smell. She had to fight herself to not open the window to the crisp autumn air.  
Daisy ran back in after a few minutes, tears in her eyes. “Please, you've rested, I can't with Aunt Mildred, she's asking me all about the remedies and the herbs, and she's driving me positively insane!”  
“Fine, fine, I get it,” said Lettie defeated. “I'll go, but you HAVE to unpack, clean and take care of my stuff, or I'll kill you.”  
“Whatever, just go,” Daisy said with a wave of hand.  
Aunt Mildred was jutting out her double chins, her snake eyes ogling the cupboards, while she stroked her brown curls.  
“Aunt Mildred,” Lettie called, “what's the matter?”  
“Ah, nothing, nothing, my dear, absolutely nothing,” said Aunt Mildred portentously, which spelled doom. “I was simply wondering...”  
Aunt Mildred always started like that, then went on a tirade about weak remedies, even weaker potions, incompetent creams and lotions, ordinary oils, and on and on she went, till at last, with a sigh, her face dropped onto her stack of double chins, and stared unblinkingly into Lettie's eyes.  
“Then buy it from somewhere else,” Lettie said sulkily.  
“What nonsense child, I'm only here to make your products better,” said Aunt Mildred joyfully. “Besides, you're the only shop around.”  
“Was that an unfortunately, I heard?” Lettie said sweetly, ready to throw the jug full of salt water.  
“No,” said Aunt Mildred graciously, and put the last packet of dried bilberry fruits on the counter.  
“Thought so,” Lettie muttered. “Thank you for the patronage, have a nice day.”  
Old Killam had not left either, nor had Skeletal Hara. Lettie could have screamed. She needed to plant the herbs while they were fresh, and here she was. She smiled at them, wondering if throwing poppy seeds would make them go away.  
“Ahem,” Old Killam cleared his throat, “I've come for my bitter-root, you do have it, yes?”  
“It's right there, surely you've seen it,” said Lettie annoyed, pointing with her finger. “It has bitter-root scrawled on it.”  
“More like chicken scrawl, if you ask me. My old eyes,” said Old Killam,“are not those of the youngsters.”  
“Then leave,” Lettie bit back, “and go to the Apothecary down Lane street.”  
“I'm too old and feeble,” Old Killam said injured.  
Feeble my ass!, Lettie thought, He's healthier than all of us combined. “The usual?”  
“Yes, yes, put it on my credit,” said Old Killam with a toothy smile.  
“What a fox,” Lettie muttered. “Thank you for your patronage.”  
Skeletal Hara dumped all kinds of packets and oils and creams and bottles on top of the counter. Damn the fool, she thought, with his never-ending diseases. “Surely you don't need all of those, Fat Hara,” said Lettie sour-faced.  
“But, I do! I do! I have this pain on my back, on my stomach, and right above my hip, and beneath my rib, and you know what it means!” shrieked Hara.  
“No,” Lettie sighed defeated, “they don't mean anything. Besides, you've spent all your credit for this month. I know you don't have money.”  
Skeletal Hara sobbed into his jaunty hands. “But I do need them! I do!” and continued sobbing till Lettie felt like ripping the man's thin hair out into the street.  
So Lettie gave in and said: “Okay, we'll let you, but it's the last time. You really need to go to the doc, damn you!”  
Skeletal Hara showcased his pearly teeth. “I'm ever thankful, young Lettie, I'll pay you back one day.”  
“You mean, this month, don't you?” Lettie said suspiciously. “Because if you think--”  
“Yes, of course, young Lettie. Don't fear,” and with a pleasured sigh, Skeletal Hara ghosted off.  
Lettie entered the back shop and sat in a crooked bench with such dismay even her curls appeared to droop. She hated being in the counter, specially because Daisy was always skirting her duties. Her passion lay not on it, but on the little garden she'd been building on the cottage they shared. She'd forced Daisy to sleep on the shop, since one of them had to, in order to spend days and mornings and afternoons, sometimes even during the crisp nights, planting and sowing and looking at them. Just sheer looking, was enough. They were beautiful colors, spotted with whites, earth browns, somber blacks, sometimes acid yellow, moss green, rusted orange. They were enchanting, they were everything.  
Lettie sighed, as Daisy passed her by and threw some rhizomes inside the cauldron.  
“Whatever you doing spending all that in one lowly potion?” said Lettie annoyed.  
“It's not lowly,” Daisy retorted. “I'll have you know there's been this skin problem going around, leaving black festering wounds on adults and kids. I'm trying to make something against it.”  
“By using every single item in the shop?” said Lettie, her eyebrows up.  
“It's not every single one, oh, damn you,” Daisy said, pushing her pigtails away. “People are being bedridden. It's a miracle Old Killam, Aunt Mildred and Skeletal Hara haven't caught it.”  
Lettie barked in laughter. “They? They're healthier than you and me combined!”  
“Oh, why are you always like this? You're making fun of me,” said Daisy, twisting her pigtails fretfully. “I am quite worried, you know.”  
Lettie sighed. “And because of this, am I to suffer you?”  
“I'll cry,” Daisy threatened, which made Lettie frown and cross her arms. “I'm serious, don't be this acid towards me. I'm doing the best I can. Shouldn't you worry about your newly collected herbs, instead?”  
Daisy jumped from the swaying bench. “Oh, damn you too, I'd forgotten all about it!”and with a last look, she ran outside with the bundles.  
First, she inspected the little bone. It was intact, and still was not answering any of her multiple questions.  
Then, she confirmed what was to be carried, which was not much. Her mind had been on the bone and she had not remembered to actually find any ginger root. Lettie sighed, and trudged up towards the orderly green hill where the cottage rested.  
It was with annoyance she found the pigs of Nanny Gram on her front yard, eating her carefully tended cabbages.  
“Away beasts!” she bellowed, slapping her arms to make them run.  
They stared at her with their milky blue-brown eyes, daring her to hit their pink bodies.  
She stared back, eyes unblinking, lips pursed till Nanny Gram appeared, her honey locks billowing in the wind.  
“Please, forgive them, Lettie, please for me,” she begged.  
“I could poison them and you'd never know,” Lettie pointed out.  
The pigs screeched indignantly, dropping their dung on top of the cabbages they had yet to munch. Lettie screamed at them, and did not throw them a rock or two because Nanny Gram kept shouting and clinging to her arms for dear life.  
“Oh, please, please!” she implored, shaking all over.  
They'd been such handsome cabbages too, their pearly green shining against the sun. She almost screamed bloody murder, but held it in.  
Lettie threw a resentful look at the pigs, and finally looked at Nanny. “Just take them out of here, before I do murder them in their sleeps.”  
The pigs refused to leave. Nanny Gram's skin went from coffee-and-milk to a deep red, as she tempted them with pasties, and they curtailed her efforts. Their beady eyes looked shrewdly at her until she had to give in.  
“I'm not killing you,” she admitted with a sulk, “now begone.”  
Yet, they refused.  
“I'll cook you up if you keep at it, you beasts,” Lettie said annoyed.  
They sat like dogs, still among her prized cabbages, and went on staring, their short necks stretched to look her in the eyes. Whatever Nanny Gram gave them, they'd turned out intelligent, or at least understood human speech. Lettie hadn't suspected Nanny of witchcraft, but it all pointed to it.  
“I see you have hidden talents you have concealed till now,” Lettie remarked as Nanny got up with a blush.  
“N--not really...” Nanny said stiffly and burst into tears.  
The pigs strutted to Lettie and crossed their little furry arms, trying to nuzzle at her ankles.  
“Fine, fine, I got it!” Lettie said unhappily. “You're intelligent pigs, and not beasts. I'm not telling anyone about your secret. Nanny, do stop crying, for heaven's sake.”  
But Nanny did not stop. She threw herself into the ground, surrounded by pink pigs and went on wailing.  
“Stop that racket, please, and just tell me what's going on,” Lettie ordered.  
“Y--you w--wouldn't u--understand,” she said between sobs. “I--I'm a--a monster!”  
Lettie rolled her eyes as she sat beside the pigs and Nanny. And Nanny told all about it. She had been annoyed that the pigs were so dirty, and needed so much taking care of. So she'd rashly screamed at them to be smarter and to be clean, and tidy, and the next day, they'd been clearly intelligent, but no less dirty. Furious, Nanny had snapped impatiently at them to be cleaner. They'd run away. They'd come here today, but yesterday they had devastated the corn crops of Maisie Williams, which had turned into a row of such big proportions, Nanny had been having a nervous break. When today, they'd left again, Nanny had a fit and had used more power to discover them. They had, it seemed, been able to move quite fast.  
“Are you saying they've turned into magical pinkies?” Lettie said indignantly. “Magical pigs that perform magic? Magic users? Pigs?”  
“Yes, pigs!” wailed Nanny, and cried more. “W--whatever a--am I to d--do?”  
So Lettie mulled over it, thinking of the pigs and of her bone, yet she couldn't come up with anything, really. At least they don't fly, she thought, that would've been a disaster. As soon as she heard a timid crunch, she got up and bellowed at the pigs.“Don’t. You. DARE, PIGS!”  
They tried to nuzzle her with their big, sticky noses, but she swept them aside to investigate their damage. They'd destroyed at least 5 cabbages, which there hadn't been many to start with. Lettie wrung her shirt, in order not to wring their short necks. She tossed her curls away as she surged upright.  
“Let's make a deal, pigs,” Lettie said cunningly. “Nanny will give you nice food, and you don't run away, how about that?”  
But it was no go. They stayed where they were, their big moony eyes fixated on her, and refused to move even after Nanny begged them on her knees.  
“I give up,” Nanny said dejectedly, turning blue-green with worry. “Ma and Pa will have fits, but I must te-tell them.”  
And Nanny Gram ran away, crying, leaving the gaggle of pigs behind for Lettie to take care of. Lettie seethed, and went inside the cottage before there was bacon frying on the pan.  
Planting the blood root, starwort and licorice; tending to the bittersweet, bitter-root, atibala, alfalfa, anthemis, blackberry, broom, butcher's broom, cat's foot, cat's claw, common buckthorn, common rue, clary sage and many more; made her feel much better. She spent at least an hour tending to them, taking their flowers, fruits and leaves, cutting some roots and some rhizomes, because Daisy would want them, then she spent another hour watering and checking for them of any dryness, spots, or parasites.  
When it was clear everything was in order she returned back inside, and stopped dead in her tracks.  
The pigs were making a pigsty in the kitchen, their fat hams sitting on the carefully polished wood Lettie always so lovingly took care of. Truth be told, she'd forgotten their existence, like it usually happened. She even forgot all about the bone. Jumping through to get to the cupboards to stash Daisy's gifts, she thought of what to do to get rid of the pigs.  
But first, she needed to check on the cabbages.  
“If you foul beasts destroyed my cabbages, I...I...,” she breathed, incapable of finishing.  
So it was with a heavy heart that she walked out.  
They had not eaten the rest of the cabbages, though they had dug the ones they'd started and eaten till the roots. Crouching to inspect them closer, Lettie couldn't help but feel everything was going all kinds of wrong since she'd found the bone. Could it be a cursed bone?, she thought. But no real answers were given. She had to ask some warrior, wizard or wanderer that came into the shop. Otherwise, she wasn't entirely sure there would be any answers.  
After uprooting the eaten cabbages and planting some potatoes in their place before the pigs could see them, Lettie returned inside. The pigs weren't there any more.  
“Ye, Gods, if you lot are in my garden...!” she grumbled.  
But, as she stepped outside, Lettie saw no pigs either.  
“Wherever are they?” she muttered.  
No matter how much she searched the cupboards, the sink, any nook and cranny of the house, there were no pink tails flashing anywhere.  
“Oh, confound it all, I don't have time for this,” Lettie said, and ran to Daisy's shop.  
It was usually near the evenings that the scholars and scribes came, sometimes one of the wizards and clerics would come too. They'd have rows over who was right, or knew more, or had more power, and Lettie and Daisy had to break them apart quite fiercely.  
Yet, as the door chimed, there was no one inside. How peculiar, she thought. Not even Daisy was inside the shop.  
“How could she just leave the shop open?” she said loudly, hoping Daisy would appear.  
But Daisy did not. So as the responsible girl she was not, she trudged outside and went down through Skeletal Hara's house, which had no lights on. Which was peculiar, for Hara was as scared of his shadow, as he was of every single disease striking him dead. Whatever's going on?, she thought despairingly.  
Old Killam and Aunt Mildred were not with their lights on either, thought it was dusk and the sun was covered, so that everything was already shaded by the deep blue of the night.  
Nanny Gram was indeed inside the house, which Lettie ran joyfully as she saw the lights.  
Nanny Gram came outside, her eyes puffed and streaks of dirt and tears in her eyes.  
“Where's everyone?” Lettie asked anxiously.  
Nanny Gram shrugged. “I think there's a festival down in Lane Street, but I wouldn't know...” she said, and sat on the wooden stairs of the porch.  
“Festival? I've heard of no such thing,” Lettie said. “Why didn't Daisy close the shop? And gods, whatever's the problem now?”  
“It's quite recent, it appeared today out of nowhere,” Nanny Gram said, rubbing her cheeks. “I saw them coming while I ran home. It's like they are charmed.”  
“What do you mean?” Lettie said fretfully. “Why would you say that?”  
“Well...” Nanny Gram started, and looked around so no one heard. “Well, they all just up and left. Even Ma and Pa, and they were ready to hit me too. Their eyes went all vague, and with the sound of the horn, they went.”  
“Went? Horn?” Lettie frowned. “I didn't hear it. I was tending to my garden, while your pigs...Ye Gods, the pigs disappeared too.”  
“They did? Oh bother them,” Nanny said annoyed. “I heard it, but I think it didn't have any effect on me.”  
“Because you're...magical?”  
“Don't be silly!” Nanny scoffed. “I think its power is to attract those that do not possess magic power, they're easier to manipulate.”  
Lettie paced around, in front of the porch, mulling it over. “But surely, Daisy wouldn't have gone.”  
“There you go,” Nanny scoffed again,“thinking that alchemy and herbalism is magical power or witchcraft.”  
Lettie frowned at Nanny. “But Daisy just...knows things, that's far from non-magical kingdom.”  
“It's not magical either,” Nanny said annoyed. “It's the sixth sense, we all have. Either way, shouldn't you go and rescue Daisy, at least?”  
“Rescue? Why rescue?” Lettie said stupidly.  
“Because if it's calling for non-magicals, it ain't good,” Nanny retorted. “I can't go alone, but if you come with me, we can do it.”  
“I'm hardly magical, I'm not magical at all,” Lettie said sulkily. “I wouldn't be any good.”  
“Don't go all droopy on me,” Nanny snapped. “If you didn't get called, it's because you resisted. That means you're immune to it, come with me.”  
So Lettie was forced to go. Even though she was quite positively sure it was all nonsense. After all, the most magical Lettie had ever done had been to find the strange bone. And that was hardly magical. More like dumb luck.  
It was quite a shock arriving at Lane street, after puffing and walking down the zig-zag road, to find it occupied with dozens and dozens of people. All cheerfully dressed in deep reds, bold yellows, bright pinks, sunset-bronze; little fedoras with tall fluffy roosters feathers; all wearing carnival masks, some covering only their eyes, others covering all their faces. The music was loud and obnoxious, enough to ring inside the head each time the horn sounded, the drums got hit, the clarinet struck high.  
Trudging through heaps of sweaty people, puffing green and purple smokes, each with a glass of mauve liquid on their gloved hands, was difficult. So difficult, they had to hold each others hand or lose themselves forever more.  
It was with an ever bigger shock that they saw pigs, with wings now on their bodies, contently skirting and hooping through the sky, people laughing and jeering at them.  
“Gods, they are here,” Nanny said quite shocked. “Do you think...?”  
Lettie frowned and shook her head. “No, we can't rescue a couple of stupid pigs that are doing it out of their own free will. Let's go, we must find Daisy and your parents.”  
Nanny Gram turned very pale but agreed, though as they walked away she kept stealing glances at the pigs.  
Daisy was empty eyed, plumped on a plush chair, clapping and hooting at the dancing horses. She was right in the middle of the party, and there was such big fires to illuminate the whole place, Daisy's corn hair turned bronze and her blue eyes white.  
Lettie shrieked in horror. Nanny squeezed her hand.  
“Don't be afraid, it'll make you susceptible to it,” Nanny murmured kindly.  
Lettie bit her lip and nodded, incapable of speaking. So now, Nanny pulled at Lettie to continue on. They had to find her parents, and also the host of the festival. And then...only the Gods knew.  
Nanny's Pa and Ma were in a long table, piled high with food and drinks of such shocking colors, they both starting to wonder if they were among humans or not.  
There was a green punch there, purple whiskey, the water had turned into a gold color; the food had a brown-tinge to it, sometimes orange. Lettie felt herself be attacked by whatever was in the air, either the music or magic, she felt the struggle racking inside her head, trying to welcome her away from worries.  
Nanny clapped her hands on Lettie's ears, which helped the convulsions become only shakes.  
“I'm scared,” Lettie said, blinking tears. “Please, let's leave.”  
But Nanny only said no. So they continued on.  
It was with the utmost relief that Nanny sighted the far-away deep blue tent and dragged Lettie away from the ruckus and the smoke. I hope she holds on, Nanny thought, the magic is only getting stronger.  
Nanny peeked inside, while Lettie looked around dazedly.  
A man was sitting on the carpeted floor, he was not wearing a mask, though his face was two different colors. He was blue in the right face, and white in the left. His mismatched eyes of brown and green focused on them, while his lips shaped into a smile.  
“I see we have guests,” he said, and his voice rang in their ears. “Come, sit.”  
Nanny did not sit, the man's power was great but could not dazzle her. Lettie sat, though she kept looking at Nanny and holding onto her. Good, so she is still fighting, Nanny thought.  
“Why are you here?” Nanny inquired quite diplomatic.  
The man laugh was like earth rumbling. “I'm searching for what is mine, I felt it be awakened. I've only come for what is righteously mine.”  
“Yours? And what is it?” Nanny said, while Lettie squirmed beside her.  
“It is none of your business, child, but I feel it in this town, and until it is given to me, I shall not leave.”  
“Ah,” Lettie exhaled, but could not say 'I think I have what you want'. Because if she did, what would happen then?  
“So, who are you?” Nanny said, ignoring Lettie.  
But the man said no more, only stared into the deeply troubled brown eyes of Lettie, forcing his way into her head.  
“Stop that!” Nanny snapped. “You'll damage her mind!”  
And the man did, though he looked resentfully at her.  
“It is my crown, I'm searching for,” the man said at last.  
“What's it look like?” said Nanny.  
“It's made of white unicorn bone.”  
“Unicorn?” Lettie muttered.  
“Yes,” the man said, fixing his unblinkingly eyes in hers, “made of Unicorn. The most durable and magical bone. Dragon's weren't very forthcoming.”  
“Why do you need it?” Lettie said.  
“Because I'll retake my rightful place,” the man snapped.  
“Why? What did you do?” said Nanny.  
“I'm tired of your why's, begone,” his voice thundered.  
And they were.  
They were in the meadow were Lettie had discovered the bone. Nanny huddled closer to Lettie, it was chillingly cold, and started crying. It had been so forceful, so powerful they'd been assaulted on all their senses during the trip.  
Lettie was not well, Nanny could see it in the paleness of her face. Nanny cajoled, huffing and puffing while pulling at Lettie's arms, for her to get up and move, but Lettie could not.  
“I'm so tired,” she mumbled.  
“Please, get up we must go and deliver his crown, before he makes them all dance into madness!” Nanny said, fighting tears.  
“I hope not,” Skeletal Hara said, and there was a mob at his feet of pigs and thin and dry people right behind him. “It would be quite unfortunate if the Duke of Arlan got the crown.”  
Nanny stared at the pigs, which were no longer flying, and at the twigs-like people. They looked like they'd been carved out of trees, and would place roots at any second. Lettie muttered something, so Hara came closer.  
“Young Lettie, I've once told you I'd help you as you've helped me and my kind,” Hara said crouching. “You see, they needed help and I could not have done it without you.”  
Lettie muttered again, quite incomprehensible.  
“Yes,” Skeletal Hara said with a fond smile,“I know you have it, so will you let me take it from your pouch, Lettie?”  
But Lettie paled, and burst into tears, and fought anyone touching her.  
“It is the curse of it,” Hara said sadly. “It lodged itself to her, and it summons the magical beings around. If you do not pry it from her, I'll fear she'll be permanently gone.”  
“LETTIE!” Nanny bellowed, as her Ma did. “Give it to me!”  
Lettie quite shocked, and Nanny's voice sounding like that of Daisy, took it out of her pouch and extended her open hand towards them.  
Hara took it, carefully and lovingly, from her hand and tied his brown thin hair with it.  
An explosion of light came from the bone and from Hara. The people behind him started to unfold, becoming thicker, their limbs shrinking, their flesh becoming coffee-and-milk, white, brown, black, red, until they looked like humans. And Hara, looked younger than before, quite fat too, and the pigs were little children at his feet, who ran into the crowd behind them.  
“Young Lettie,” Hara said, in a crouch again. “I'll blow into your eyes the sands of the Gods, and you'll be back to normal. I'll thank you in my name of Haraldio the Second, and of my people, that everything will be fine.”  
Haraldio blew his yellow, twinkling sand into Lettie's huge frightened eyes, making her collapse into Nanny's arms.  
The next morning, Lettie was surrounded by strange people, Fat Hara as he liked to be called was truly fat, and Nanny beside him, smiling broadly, gave her a thumbs up. Daisy had a mauve-pink liquid that she was giving to the people, to deliver to the towns.  
“Yes, the disease was the curse attacking what was closer, never mind that, it'll pass,” Haraldio said, and beamed at Lettie.  
“I just want to die,” Lettie said, feeling like she had a hangover.  
“I'm afraid we can't, by my honor,” Haraldio said and blushed at Nanny. “But, we'll let you live full of good food and plenty of garden, deal?”  
Lettie groaned. “Deal, just leave!”  
They did too, Haraldio murmuring to Nanny while both blushed, only leaving Daisy and Lettie laughing at each other and telling each other the tale of what had happened to them while they were both gone.  
End


End file.
